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Peninsular Thinking A conversation about Bremerton, Port Orchard, Poulsbo, Silverdale, Bainbridge Island, Kingston, Manchester, Seabeck, Southworth, Suquamish, Belfair, Keyport, Olalla, Bangor, Hansville, Indianola, Port Gamble, Allyn, Port Ludlow, Gig Harbor and every once in a while something about the good folks who don't have the good fortune to live here.

Cross-country rider has a hitch in her get-along

Delp and her riding partner Dan Shanafelt, 23, set out from the
Pacific Coast with a team of horses (and one mule) on Mother’s Day,
appropriate since Delp lost her mom to cancer. The team traveled on
highways, back roads and trails, through small towns, mountains,
forests and desert land.

They found people who opened their doors to them, fed them and
pointed them down the trail. Much of it was glorious. Much of it —
especially as they traveled through the desert of Eastern
Washington — was pure hell.

One day they expected to find water, but had none. How hot was
it? Ursa, Delp’s dog along for the journey, had to wear boots to
keep from burning her feet. One of the horses was bitten by a
snake, thankfully not a rattler.

After that they carried water, but the stress took a toll on
everyone, Delp said.

Shanfelt and Delp made it to the Idaho border in mid-July. There
they parted ways.

In her
blog and in a telephone interview, Delp said simply, “Dan has
decided that he will no longer be riding across the country.”

Shanfelt did not call me back to explain his side of the
story.

“This decision has required that I rethink the initial route, as
at this point I will be the only human to continue coast 2 coast,”
Delp wrote in her blog.

Delp has cut about 800 miles off her route, and she will avoid
wilderness areas.

“I can be a whole lot of dumb, but I’m not stupid,” she said.
“Going through the wilderness by yourself is not a good idea.”

One other small detail to be worked out: Who will drive the
support trailer along the way. Family and friends were available
early in the route. Later, Dan drove along stretches where Delp’s
unsinkable faith didn’t provide angels along the way.

Delp, now back at home, is working furiously on this and other
logistical details. When she gets it together, she’ll head out,
picking up where she left off.

It seems everyone is doing some kind of marathon these days. I
wonder why you never hear about the people who don’t finish the
race.

I asked Delp what about just saying, “I got this far and called
it good?”

Aside from consideration of everyone who’s donated money, goods
or services to make the trip possible, Delp said, she doesn’t feel
pressured to continue. But she also feels no pressure to quit.

“For me, I set my sights on Delaware. I don’t have a reason to
stop,” Delp said. “Yeah, there were things that really sucked, but
overall, this has been amazing.”

Delp recently got a bit of good news. Her
project is in the running for a Pepsi Refresh grant. The
company is awarding money to people whose ideas for improving
their communities receive the most votes on the Pepsi Refresh
website. Currently ranked 52nd in this round of voting, she stands
to earn $25,000 if online voters help her make the cut.

This round of voting in the Pepsi Refresh contest ends Aug.
23.

Delp’s journey also has me thinking about how, in this very
virtual world, we all seem to be craving adventure. Maybe that
explains the popularity of shows like “Deadliest Catch”
and “Man
vs Wild.”

Maybe that explains why everyone these days has a bucket list
that includes far more than sitting on the back porch rocking away
the sunset years.

What’s on my list? I’d like to be one of the people who sets off
fireworks at a professional show. I’d like to learn the hula and
how to play piano. I’d like to scuba dive on the Great Barrier
Reef. And that’s just for starters.

4 thoughts on “Cross-country rider has a hitch in her get-along”

I’ll go with her to finish her ride…but only if it is self-supporting – nothing beyond horse ridden or driven and all road travel. I can’t ride anymore but I can drive one trained cart horse, perhaps a team, with a few lessons. I’d be doing it for COPD as well as for Cancer.